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After lacking a colorguard for their 2017 marching season, Highland’s marching pride has renewed their color guard program for 2018. Newcomer coach Stacy Snyder has taken on the challenge and is hopeful for a guard consisting of ten students. At the moment, six students are to be joining Highland’s marching pride.

“I’d like to fill four more spots. However, I can take more as this opportunity is open to all students. I want to include students rather than exclude, so that more students can benefit from the positive aspects of color guard,” Snyder said.

Over the past few years, interest in colorguard has been dissolving, with attendance to meetings decreasing drastically each year. This resulted in the complete lack of a colorguard last season, due to partly to low interest, as well as the former coach, Emily Hires, leaving Highland.

With the amount of students leaving the guard, it is difficult to build it back up once again.

“Rebuilding the guard is going to be a multi-year process, starting with the coach and the core group of members. We had 17 different students at our first few rehearsals and upon seeing the demand on time/commitment, many prospective students dropped,” band director Brian Blocker said.

The band is hopeful, however, seeing such an art form come back is fantastic.

“So far there has been a majority of upperclassmen. I suspect many underclassmen and current 8th graders are not aware what colorguard is,” Snyder said.

Looking to the future, Blocker and Snyder are hopeful.

“The group we have now is about eight to ten members which is great for our first rebuilding season. In years past, we’ve ended the season with three to four students still performing, so I look at our group as being a better committed membership. With Stacy running things, I feel that our group will have a very positive experience to springboard off for the winter season and next fall!” said Blocker.

If you’re interested in joining colorguard, contact Brian Blocker at [email protected] or attend the last callout meeting Monday, May 14th in the band room.